Athenian Democracy Essay

Throughout the centuries, civilizations have prospered and fallen with only their effects left on the world as their evidence of their existence. Ancient Greece is widely accepted as the most influential civilization ever, with the Golden Age of ancient Athens being its pinnacle. The Golden Age of Athens began when Athens became the most powerful Greek city-state, centralizing their power following their victory of the Greco-Persian wars. Following Athens’ victory over Persia, Athenians entered a golden age due to a strong economy, military and government and faith of the people. The Battle of Marathon took place in Athens in 490 BCE, and the citizens fought against the invading Persian army.

Today, much of the world’s governments have converted to democracies. In the Ancient World, there was only one truly notable example of a democratic society: The City-State of Athens. This is actually the birthplace of democracy, where instead of the rich or powerful ruling, it was the citizens of the city-state that held the power. This advanced way of government was so effective and well structured, it even laid the foundations for the development of our own democracy, right here in the United States, over 2,000 years in the future. Prior to Athens’s collapse during the Peloponnesian War, it truly had an efficient and very organized system of government.

Without a clear understanding of the history involved we are easily blinded by the eloquence and charisma that politicians utilize to control the populace. Democracy dates back to the Golden Age of Greece or the Classic Period. Not yet an organized, centralized nation Greece was made up of warring city-states none of which possessed full control over its neighbors. During this period and under these circumstances there was a tremendous advancement in Greek thought encompassing philosophy, politics, medicine, mathematics, and the sciences to name just a few areas of influence that still maintain a strong Greek legacy today. Of all the Greek city-states it was Athens that gave birth to many of the political philosophies that still survive today.

As you can see, both Xanthippus and Agariste had great influences on Pericles. Not only did his parents have a great influence on Pericles, but his teachers did too. D... ... middle of paper ... ...d. From building the Parthenon, to using his extravagant brain and abilities to hook the Athenians to his plans, Pericles was revolutionary leader of the Ancient World. Works Cited Aird, Hamish. Pericles: The Rise and Fall of Athenian Democracy.

The Ancient Greeks were nothing if not influential. Ever since it 's formation in the 8th century B.C., Greek civilization has impacted many of the world 's greatest thinkers and shaped the landscape of Western Civilization. Aside from their art and philosophy, the Ancient Greeks were particularly interested in politics and, in the case of Athens, a new system of government known as: democracy! Long before the American founding fathers declared their independence from Britain, Athenian citizens governed their own state and voted to solve political turmoil. However, ancient Athens was no perfect twin to American democracy, and being an upstanding Athenian citizen meant more than simply voting and going about one 's business.

I believe it is the most advanced ancient civilization because the Ancient Greeks introduced some very significant contributions to the world such as certain things in philosophy, art and architecture, and math and science. Additionally, the ancient Greek had organized social factors. The ancient Greek had an organized and advanced way of living. Greece in the archaic period (ancient Greece) was made up from city-states which were called Polis. The two most important city-states were Athens and Sparta.

Also Athens went from a Monarchy to being controlled by archons, which were chosen actually by the aristocrats. Disagreements and many other factors between the states lead to the Peloponnesian war, which began in 431 B.C. no one, won the war but it seemed Athens suffered the biggest loss. Greek civilization hit its full maturity between 500 and 362 B.C. sculpture, architecture, and painting began to flourish along with

Mallory Warner Pericles (Athens) Golden Age Rough Draft 3/4/14 A golden age is a time when a civilization reaches its highest period of advancement. The Greeks, more specifically the Athenians, reached their highest achievements starting in 477 B.C. This was the beginning of Athens' golden age. The Athenians used the money from the Delian league, a defensive alliance formed at the end of the Persian Wars, to rebuild their city-state. This is also a time when Athens created a direct democracy.

He was born into a wealthy, Athenian aristocratic family, who actually came to rule Athens in 404 BCE. Because of his family’s prosperous background, Plato was treated to fine education. Plato’s upbringing ultimately influenced his viewpoints on particular subjects pertaining to philosophy and politics, a majority of his thoughts were pulled from two chief occurrences in his life; the Spartans victory over Athens in the Peloponnesian War, and the teachings, as well as the execution, of Socrates. The Peloponnesian War began before Plato’s birth, yet didn’t end until he was abo... ... middle of paper ... ...Web.

Development of Democracy in Athens Democracy comes from two Greek words: a noun demos which means, "people" and a verb, kratein, which means "to rule" (Ober 120). Democracy first appeared in Athens towards the beginning of the fifth century B.C. The biggest difference between Athenian democracy and almost all other democracies is that the Athenian version was a direct democracy rather than being representative. Democracy came about in Athens as a result of the growing navel power and the reforms made by leaders such as Cleisthenes and Pericles. The city-state of Athens, 5th century Athens to be precise, is the inventor and first practitioner of democracy.